Glitter and Glycerin: A Snow Globe Workshop Recap

Hello, so, confession time: I had technical difficulties and so could not record the workshop. BOO HISS. But here is what I do have:

1. A list of ingredients from Laneia.
2. Some photos of the finished products.
3. Step-by-step instructions from Laneia.
4. And an edited transcript from the workshop so you can read-along and get a feel for the vibe.

As always with the use of technology here on this tumultuous ocean of internet, thank you for bearing with us, especially when things do not quite go as we would like.

You’re gonna need to gather some snow globe making supplies beforehand, so here’s your list!

  • Glycerin
  • Glitter
  • Clear waterproof glue
  • Clean glass jars
  • Lil’ guys

winona the cat looks upon the sundry organized snow globe making supplies laneia has organized

Step-by-step Instructions for Making Snow Globes

  • glue the figurine to the lid with waterproof epoxy
  • let that cure for 48 hrs if possible, at least 24
  • sprinkle some glitter NOT TOO MUCH into the jar
  • fill with water
  • add a teeny drop of glycerine
  • stir this as much as you feasibly can
  • screw the lid on!
  • if everything seems good and you like the glitter to water to glycerine ratio, you can unscrew the lid, dry it and the jar’s neck/threading and apply a generous amount of epoxy where the thread will meet the lid, screw the lid back on!

Laneia has posed two completed snow globes in front of her Christmas tree. One contains a flamingo figurine and the other a cactus figurine. They are sparkly and the mood is warm and festive.

Rachel (of AS crossword fame) even made some snow globes with LOOSE DICE so that people could use them for game night!

a line of four homemade snow globes each with a loose dragon and dice in them

So, gayming gays, that is an idea FOR YOU! Make some D&D style snow globes this holigay season!

Okay, and lastly, here is the transcript:

Laneia We’re going to make snow globes. I’m going to share my screen. It’s going to be so cool. I can’t hear you because you’re all muted.

Kayla Kumari Hi, everyone.

Laneia Is it echoing for anybody?

Laneia Great.

Laneia Hello. Thanks for coming. And thanks for being a member. That’s what’s really important here. We’re gonna make these snow globes.

Kayla Kumari Mhm.

Laneia that I originally made with my grandmother like 23 years ago because I saw it on Martha Stewart and I was like, I want to do that, and she was like, Let’s do it so and it was really cute. And then I’ve been wanting to do it again ever since. So this year, I was like we’re going to get cozy. We’re going to make these snow globes I made once. This week, and I’m gonna show you it’s a little flamingo. With like cute little Glitter. It’s kind of stuck at the top, You know that adds to the charm. This is a little jar from did anybody else get the jam Advent calendar this year? That’s where that came from the little

Kayla Kumari Are you able to, like, Keep up with the jam? That just seems like a tremendous amount of jam.

Laneia It’s too much.

Kayla Kumari Do you eat that much? Damn

Laneia It’s too much fucking jam.

Laneia We see Kayla, can you show that you already glued your little guy? Can we see it?

Kayla Kumari Yes, so this one is actually Kristen’s, and it is a palm tree and a little picnic table with whine specifically the label, says Sherrod, which I thought was kind of funny that is specifically a Shiraz and little cans of beer. And pint glasses

Laneia I like it.

Kayla Kumari and wine glasses. It’s a little Florida

Laneia Right?

Kayla Kumari dirtbag snow globe scene

Laneia So good.

Kayla Kumari It’s really good. Mine just has a palm tree so like, but it’s funny that you have the Flamingo one because I really looked everywhere for a little flamingo figurine. I really wanted to do a flamingo one, but also

Laneia Oh, no.

Kayla Kumari just for like the Florida vibes, and I couldn’t find one. But I love yours.

Laneia You know what? Mine came in a three pack so I’ll send you one and you can make more.

Kayla Kumari Yes.

So we’ve glued ours down. The epoxy says to like, let it cure for 24 hours. Great Rule of thumb. Am I going to do that? No. This is my jar. This was the vanilla bean paste. That like fancy ass vanila bean paste I finished it when I made a buttermilk cake this week, and I was like, this is the jar that we’re going with. So yours is like a perfect size like yours looks like a good traditional size personal cup.

Kayla Kumari Yeah, it’s actually it’s plastic. It’s not glass because my local craft store was out of glass ones. But it worked out perfectly because it was a three pack and I’m going to make these with my three year old niece. And I feel like plastic is going to be ideal for that. So,

LaneiaThat’s really smart.

Kayla Kumari It kind of worked out.

Laneia I also saw this Maybe I’ll share it like in the discord channel when I’m done somebody when I was looking at DIY snow globes. Somebody bought a tumbler like a plastic cup. That was bubbled like, Do you know what I’m talking about? So it’s clear acrylic, and it has a bubble situation to it, And they’re just like stuck it on something and, like, put a scene inside and it looks like It’s constantly snow falling. It’s adorable. I was like that’s so much easier.

Kayla Kumari Hmm.

Laneia Okay, so really, truly, this could not be simpler like it at all. The only thing is, I would say don’t put too much glitter in and don’t put too much glycerin. in The glycerin will cause it to clump up and too much glitter will just clump even more. It does kind of get like I said, it gets a little stuck at the top and adds to the charm. It’s just charming and I would try to get as much water in there as possible. Benefits build out, clean it up. Some people also glue their lids onto the jar. I don’t know if that’s necessary to be honest. So I’m putting in enough glitter. I’m using white.

Kayla Kumari I have, like an iridescent glitter.

Laneia So technically, I think I have too much in here. We’re going to go with it.

Kayla Kumari Okay. It’s like a less is more situation.

Laneia Yeah.

Kayla Kumari Okay?

Laneia I just have this little spoon to stir mine when I add the water. Okay, I’m gonna add the water first, and then the glycerin truly like drops of glycerin, is the way to go. I got this bottle for, like two decades ago. Many other people use glycerin for I don’t know.

Kayla Kumari I got the last bottle at my store.

Laneia This is a too much glitter. Y’all

Kayla Kumari I feel like I didn’t put enough.

Laneia The thing about not gluing the lid on is you can go back and fix the glitter to water to glycerin ratio. Once you figure out that it’s too much.

Laneia People in the channel if you all have made Snow globe already or if you’re working on them with us, I would love to see it, like turn your camera on! And glitter everywhere! If you’re doing this and it starts leaking when you shake it, just put some epoxy around the lid.

Kayla Kumari Oh, my God. I truly got glitter everywhere.

Laneia I think it’s against the law to fuck with glitter and not get it everywhere. Like I said, someone comes for you.

a screenshot of Laneia and Kayla on side by side screens each assembling a home made snow globe in their own home and holding them up to the camera

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Nico

Nico Hall is a Team Writer for Autostraddle (formerly Autostraddle's A+ and Fundraising Director and For Them's Membership and Editorial Ops person.) They write nonfiction both creative — and the more straightforward variety, too, as well as fiction. They are currently at work on a secret longform project. Nico is also haunted. You can find them on Twitter and Instagram. Here's their website, too.

Nico has written 238 articles for us.

Laneia

Laneia has written 311 articles for us.

3 Comments

  1. This was a delight to attend and to revisit! I managed to find everything *except* lil guys – thanks a lot, Joann Fabrics – but I have SO MANY Imperfect Foods lil pudding jars, so once I have miniature success I will be in business.

Comments are closed.